After his second inning’s dismissal in the second test match against Pakistan, Kumar Sangakkara, the most accomplished batsman produced by Sri Lanka, lifted his bat and waved to the crowd as if it was his last test innings in Sri Lanka.

Although thousands of supporters who were gathered at the SSC this morning were ready to accept Mahela Jayawardena’s retirement from test cricket, Sangakkara’s "strange wave" came as a surprise to many. Sangakkara has always maintained the position that he would play for Sri Lanka until the Cricket World Cup in 2015.

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“What comes beyond that will be a bonus,” Sangakkara once said addressing a press conference in Colombo. However, he has not yet disclosed the official “time-line” of his retirement. However, the indication he gave today at the SSC ground in Colombo suggests that Sangakkara is determined to retire from international cricket after 2015 World Cup.

Sri Lanka will play for its next test series at home after a hiatus of nearly one year, cricket sources said.

In what seems to be his last test innings in Sri Lanka, Sangakkara scored a brilliant half century showing his master-class and batting acumen.

Along with South African batsman AB de Villiers, he dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test batting rankings between 2005 and 2014. As of August 2014, and especially after the double century he scored against Pakistan in Galle, Kumar Sangakkara is placed at number 1 in ICC test rankings.

Sangakkara was a key member of the team that won the 2014 World T20 as well as the team that made the finals of the 2007 World Cup, the 2011 World Cup and 2012 World T20.

Sangakkara captained the national team from 2009 to 2011, stepping down after the 2011 ICC World Cup final. The same year, he was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards ceremony. In 2012, he was honoured as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

According to ESPN/Cricinfo, Sangakkara is described as one of the "most polished and prudent of batsmen" in cricket